Thursday, March 28, 2024

Getting nowhere

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Regarding Marlbrook Tip, I have seen a number of emails asking the same questions and expressing the same concerns as when I spoke with Ruth Bamford, the Head of Planning for Bromsgrove and Redditch, in February 2011 and the lorries were halted.

Four years later we are in exactly the same situation. Nothing has changed. Exactly the same platitudes and excuses are being trotted out as at the first public meeting:

We are taking enforcement action. . . We are consulting with. . . Our hands are tied . . . It is now the problem of . . . We have had no response. . . We will investigate. . . We cannot tell you for legal reasons. . .

For instance, in September (six months ago), a site visit took place after which the operator was given eight weeks to remove vehicles, rubbish etc from the site. Has he done so? No – if anything there are more.

No real meaningful action has taken place, we are no nearer to a solution than we were four years ago. Four months ago, the Ombudsman was very clear on the inadequacies and mismanagement by Bromsgrove District Council in this sorry saga, awarding a large sum of the tax payers’ money to a complainant.

The only difference now is that we have meetings regularly only to be told nothing has actually happened. A lot of talking but no action. 

Ann Doyle, Lickey